Clarinet tuning-slide



T. SOLBERG.

CLARINET TUNING SLIDE.

APPHCATION FILED APR. 18. I916.

. Patented Aug. 15,1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TORKILD SOLBER G, OF ST. CHARLES, ILLINGIS.

CLARINET TUNING-SLIDE Application filed April 18, 1916.

To all 20 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, TORKILD Sonnnnc, a citizen. oli Norway, residing at St. Charles, .in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have .invented new and useful Improvements in Clarinet 'luning-Slides, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improven'ients in tuning slides for clarinets and analogous wind musical instruments and has particular application to a tuning slide for correcting deviations in pitch.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide a tuning slide for clarinets and like wind instruments which may be readily and conveniently attached thereto and which can be conveniently adj ustcd until the desired pitch is obtained.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts here inatter set forth in and falling within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a tuning slide constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tuning slide. Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. l is a similar view on the line 1: i of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, 1 and 2 designate the upper and lower members of the tuning slide of a clarinet, or like wind instrument, the member 1 having the usual tubular extension 3 telescoping in the member 2 so that the slide may be lengthened or shortened by simply moving the members 1 or 2 from or toward each other. These sections or members 1 and 2 may be of any suitable construction and are shown like those commonly in use in clarinets and like instruments. To vary the pitch of the instrument, the slide must be lengthened or shortened, to a greater or less extent, de pending upon the variations of pitch required. Various devices have been heretofore designed for adjusting the tuning slide, but most of such devices, with which I am acquainted, necessitate the stopping 0t playing while the instrument is being ad usted, or the use of both hands to effect the adjusting; or a twisting motion of one section of the slide relative to the other. By means of my invention, these and other objections are overcome and, in the present instance,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Serial No. 91,915.

my improved adjusting means is constructed as follows 2-F astened to the outer side of the member 1. in some suitable manner is the central. portion of a substantially U-shaped bracket and passed through alining openings in the legs of the brackets i: and suitably l astened in such openings is one end of a rod 5 that is slidably mounted in a bearing 6 secured to the upper end of the section Surrounding the rod 5 between the bracket 4 and the bearing 6 is an elastic annulus 7 capable of sliding movement along the rod, while encircling the rod on the other side of the bearing 6 is an elastic sleeve 8. The rod 5 is preferably tapered. from a point adjacent to the bearing 6 to the lower end of the rod and the lower end portion of the rod is slidably mounted in a bearing 9 secured to the side of the section 2 at the lower end of such sect-ion. Surrounding the tubular extension 3 is a spring 10 of any suitable construction and one end ot' this spring bears against the lower end of the section 1, while the other end engages the upper end of the section 2, the spring acting to move the section 1 away from the section 2. Secured to the lower end of the section 1 and depending there'li'rom is a dust apron 11 encircling the upper end of the section 2 and acting to prevent the entrance of dirt and other foreign matter between the sections 1 and 2 in the adjusting of such sections. By simply moving the sleeve 8 away from the bearing 6 the section or member 1 of the slide may be adjusted toward or away from the section 2 and the pitch accordingly changed and when the desired adjustment has been attained, the sleeve 8 and the annulus 7 are moved against the respective sides of the bearing 6 to hold the rod in adjusted position.

IVith my invention, the clarinet may be tuned by the thumb on the right hand of the operator; the slide sections 1 and 2 have no relative rotation, and the adjusting rod 5 acts as a key to prevent relative rotation of the members 1 and 2. With the adjusting means constructed in accordance with the present invention, there is no need for loos ening, disconnecting or displacing any part of the instrument, or adjusting any part except the tuning slide. Further, the fingering arrangement or keying is not changed in any manner by adjusting the pitch. For some instruments, my improved slide might be used for changing the key, but in an in strument like the clarinet. it is not practical to change the key because an attempt to change the key would put the instrument out of tune with itself. By means of my invention, the clarinet may be adjusted quickly to absolutely correct pitch without otherwise affecting the instrument which will remain perfectly tuned in itself although the pitch may be changed.

lVhile I have herein shown and described the preferred form of my invention by Way of illustration, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a tuning slide for clarinets and like wind instruments, of a rod attached to one member of the slide and slidably engaging the other member thereof and adapted to prevent relative rotary movement of said member, bearings for said rod carried by the other member. an elastic annulus, and an elastic sleeve carried by said rod and movable longitudinally therealong and cooperating with one of said hearings to hold the rod in adjusted position.

2. The combination with a tuning slide for clarinets and like wind instruments. of a rod attached to one member of the slide and slidably engaging the other member thereol and adapted to prevent relative rotary movement of said members, means carried by said rod for holding the members of the slide in adjusted position, and a spring between the confronting ends of said slide members acting to force the slide members away from each other.

3. The combination with a tuning slide for clarinets and like wind instruments, of a rod attached to one member of the slide and slidably engaging the other member thereof and adapted to prevent relative rotary movement of said members, means carried by said rod for holding the members of the slide in adjusted position, a spring between the confronting ends of said slide members acting to force the slide members away from each other, and a dust apron carried by one end of one of said slide members and overlying the adjacent end oi the other member.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

TORKILD SOLBERG.

\Vitnesses EDWIN EiucKsoX, KARL J. Pmnasow.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

